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“Soooo i haven’t had any tea since Sunday. When i woke up this morning i knew i needed a couple of old favourites to get me through the day since my next few weeks are going to be a little crazy. ...”
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“Today I have been thinking about which teas I want to axe. We have a number of new flavors I would like to test out. Whether they will work out, I’m not sure but I do have a large number of ideas...”
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“Chinese New Year!!!
Granddaughter Schey and I went to Happy Luckys after Church like we normally do, and hopped up onto the bar stools that we usually occupy.
“Hey, what did you bring us today?!”...”
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“Oh yum!
I totally disregarded the directions (2tsp) & went with 1Tb + 8oz X 3min.
YUM!!
I have previously not been that impressed by this tea, but I love the way it looks, & because the...”
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From Butiki Teas

Our Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black originates from indigenous wild tea plants grown between 2,500 feet and 5,000 feet in the surrounding mountains of Yuchi Township in Taiwan. The tea picking season for this tea is July through August and the supply is limited because the tea is wild. During this time, the tea master will wake up around 4 a.m. to travel the mountains with local tea pickers in search of wild tea. Similar to our Gui Fei Oolong and Mi Xian Black, the leaves of our Wild Mountain black are also bitten by leafhoppers. These bites cause the plant to initiate the healing process which produces sweet honey notes. The honey aroma is unbelievably strong and inviting. Notes of fresh baked pastries and honey linger. Some gentle raisin and caramel notes are also present in this smooth and refreshing tea.

217 Tasting Notes

Soooo i haven’t had any tea since Sunday. When i woke up this morning i knew i needed a couple of old favourites to get me through the day since my next few weeks are going to be a little crazy. Got in last night, and now i’m at an offsite for two days which means the work is piling up! There’s a release over the weekend and then i’m back on a plane for a couple of days, which means more work piling up. Long story short…looks like there will be some overtime for a while! eesh.

This is such a wonderful tea to kick off my time back in Toronto. On the upside, i think the team is going bowling tonight which will be awesome! even though all i want to do is go home and sleep haha.

Nice choice, especially since you’ve been hella busy! When you have the time, make sure to go through my cupboard and pick stuff out that you’d like to try so I could return the favour and send some back your way. :)

Today I have been thinking about which teas I want to axe. We have a number of new flavors I would like to test out. Whether they will work out, I’m not sure but I do have a large number of ideas that I would like to start on. Three of my favorite ideas are an Irish Cream Cheesecake, Espresso Stout Beer Tea and Champagne with Rose Cream. I think those will be hard to pull off but I can’t wait to try. The top contenders to be axed are the Raspberry Truffle, Strawberry Oolong, and the Mint Oolong. Also, I’ve just been thinking about trying out a Pumpkin Milkshake tea and seeing how it compares to our current Pumpkin Crème Brulee.

On to the tea at hand. I love love love me some Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black and this harvest is fantastic! Leafhoppers are magical creatures! I truly believe this tea needs to be tried in a gongfu session to be really appreciated as that is how I’m getting the most flavor out of it. I have been doing about 7 steeps with this tea with my gaiwan. Here’s a pic of the wet leaves in my cute little red 50ml gaiwan: http://instagram.com/p/dQPsaGFfKn/. From this session, I’m getting heavier honey notes that linger and evolve into powdered sugar notes. Additionally, there are some bready notes with cinnamon and sweet potato. Occasional plum notes peak through the maltiness. This tea is weighty and produces a lovely complex cup of tea. I just absolutely love it! :)

I’m drinking some of this tea now! :) So tasty! I’d love to see a pumpkin milkshake tea and maybe just a regular cheesecake one, too! I think they’d be amazing as a rooibos blends, but you always come up with the best blends!

Sil-I know you won’t mind many of the oolongs being axed. Haha. Would love to know what you think of the sample. That is only round 1, so it is a bit of a work in progress.

QueenOfTarts-Glad you are enjoying the wild mountain tea! I’m excited about trying out a pumpkin milkshake. I’ve made a vegan one from a random recipe in the past and loved it plus I’m always trying to think of new ideas for flavors that don’t already exist. There will definitely be a new rooibos, since we really need to add more rooibos & honeybush options. Caramel cheesecake sounds awesome but I think for another caramel flavor I might go with one of the ones that terri or sil recommended (i forgot which one of you recommended it) a caramel coffee flavor.

Nicole-That’s a really awesome offer. Unfortunately, with the whole me being vegan thing, that wouldn’t work out. Though, how odd is this, I did find a vegan irish cream cheesecake recipe. Very weird. I would be happy to send you a sample of the tea, strictly for authenticating purposes. :)

Nicole…I’ll take Stacy’s cheesecake!
Stacy – sent you an email with a few notes…not bad for a first start :) and I enjoyed raspberry truffle…just not one of my favourites from you :) as in, make room for new!

Bonnie-There will definitely be a lot of new ones that aren’t rooibos or honeybush. The pumpkin milkshake I was thinking about trying with our Zhen Qu. I have a few cofee-ish teas in mind. Mmmmm french vanilla apple pie sounds fantastic. I’m undecided about which base to use for the Irish Cream Cheescake though puerh is a possibility.

Heather-Yay! I hope you enjoy your new teas! :)

Just James-It is a bit finicky, particularly with the water temperature. I was actually thinking about turning that one into just a creamy plum.

Tea Sipper-thanks! :)

tigress_al-I’m on the fence about the Strawberry Oolong. I love it but we have 2 other strawberry teas and they sell more and just strawberry is a little plain. I’m not sure about that one yet.

If I’m going to be honest, I have Strawberry Oolong and Raspberry Truffle and I don’t reach for them very often so if they were axed I wouldn’t throw my fist in the air and cry “WHYWHY??!”. I can’t wait to get my order that shipped today! Yay! And I am SOOOOO looking forward to those new teas they sound AMAZING! I think I would have to get them all! Because I need more Butiki Tea…hahaha!

I won’t miss any of those teas. I’m sure I’ll have to sample all the new ones, although flavored teas aren’t my forte, so keep carrying all the awesome unflavored ones that I love, that’s all I’m asking!!! :)

I’m all for a European theme for Ysaurella and other friends across the sea…maybe ‘The Grand Tour’ as the British used to say in the old days. Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome, Vienna and so on. You already have the Irish started, Espresso reminds me of Rome.
(I think I’m going off my rocker here!) Just laugh at me, I’m OK with it.

Ali Bee-Thanks for the feedback! Feedback is always appreciated. I hope the new ones come out good. crosses fingers

Terri HarpLady-No worries, there will be new plain teas as well and I certainly won’t be getting rid of any of the top sellers. We are also revamping most of the straight tea blends. The current Irish Breakfast was the first one done. The English Breakfast tea needs an update and I’m working on a Butiki Breakfast Blend and an Indian Breakfast. Thanks :)

Ysaurella-Thanks. So, I am not quite sure what Pain Perdu-Framboise is. I tried googling it but all of the recipes were in French. It does look amazingly delicious though.

Bonnie-That is not a bad idea at all! We are currently working on a tea that was inspired by Philippino flavors. Its about time really, since the name of our company is a Tagalog word. Also, part of company focus is teas from around the world so that really works with our vision. :)

i have a custom tea on the way… final stages. coconut cream pie— WITH a detectable crust. can’t wait. early september. (along with a mammoth order of other stuff thus me blowing through my other supply!

JustJames-Thanks for the translation! Sounds yummy, though the french name sounds sexier. No idea when the flavoring is coming in, I will call them tomorrow to check in. I know the summer is generally the worst time to order. You will be the first to know. I will be working on your tea along with the new teas (since I’m waiting on those flavorings too). I will be sure to send some samples of my work in progress with your custom blend sample.

Stephanie-I’m very excited to work on that custom blend, JustJames chose 2 amazing base teas to test it on. :)

agreed, ‘pain perdu’ is far more romantic than ‘french toast’…. bread sacrificed to the overwhelming taste sensations of milk vanilla and spice…. it is perdu…. and then you pile syrup on it and it’s even more perdu-ed, lol.

The best dessert I ever had was in Messina, Italy…a small pastry shop with handmade waffle cones filled with hazelnut gelato, dipped in THICK bittersweet chocolate. No dessert has ever been as well-made! It was pretty good sized, not dainty… prefect though. The whole shop was filled with marzapan cakes and handmade candies wrapped in beautiful papers. Extraordinary!

Granddaughter Schey and I went to Happy Luckys after Church like we normally do, and hopped up onto the bar stools that we usually occupy.

“Hey, what did you bring us today?!” Preston asked.

With great excitement, I pulled out my bag of Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black Tea which caught Joe’s eye further down behind the cash register.

“Wow, is that it?!” Joe exclaimed. (He and Preston had tasted the previous small sample from Butiki but this was MORE!)

“Yep, I brought the whole bag in so Eric, Andi, and Schey could have some of this tea too!”

I’ve never seen Preston move so fast! He had a Gaiwan, 6 tasting cups and an aroma set (for me) ready in no time.

I invited a young man at the bar (he was drinking tangerine stuffed puer that the shop now carries thanks to advice from Steepster mrmopar) to join in the tasting.

Preston warmed the Gaiwan, placed the leaves inside…waited, then passed the Gaiwan for everyone to smell the aroma. Delicious waffles…this is what we all think the tea smells like!

We each held the first golden-amber pour in our cups up high as Eric made a toast in Chinese 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè) for Happy New Year!

All that I heard after that were….GROANSANDSIGHS OF DELIGHT!

I’ve seldom seen so many speechless, excited tea people. It was a pleasure bringing a grand tea to my friends.

In the past month…I’ve shared 2 tea’s that have been in the top 3 that Eric and Joe have ever tasted…Master Hans Black Tea from Verdant and Butiki’s Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black.

One final word:
What takes my breath away when I drink this tea is the finish.
Just when I’ve swallowed the tea it lifts me up and I’m floating on the most gentle ribbon of lingering flavor that undulates on and on like small ripples in the water. Eventually, my whole body feels the thrill of the tea. (Hard to explain how good it is)

http://siam-tee.de/product_info.php?cPath=14_22&products_id=120 You ahould find the pictures here of aroma sets. You pour the tea in the tall cup and place the small shallow cup over it. Next, hold your thumb on the top of the tall cup, fingers under the small cup and upend it. Lift the tall cup letting the tea drain into the small cup. Bring the now empty cup up to your nose and smell the tea aroma, rolling the cup between the palms of both hands. Finally, drink the tea in 3 sips (slurps).

I now understand the concept of the aroma cup. Do you find it to make an obvious olfactory difference or is it more a part of the experience of connecting and enjoying the cup? Maybe both? I love to examine the leaf and smell it both dry and wet. I love watching the leaf dance. I can almost see myself enjoying this process except for the whole tiny cup thing.

Thank you. What nice things to say! I know that I talk about my tea house all the time, but what some people don’t know is that going to church and the tea house are the ONLY places I go regularly to interact with people (other than the grocery store or gas station). I feel ‘safe’. These people understand my limitations and never make me feel uncomfortable when my brain gets stuck and I can’t remember a word (which happens often in public). I use a cane in public too. One time at church I didn’t have my cane and went to cross myself and fell over,.which was really funny! Migraines and fibromyalgia play tricks on the brain. My fondness for my tea house is in my heart and in the teacup.

Oh yum!
I totally disregarded the directions (2tsp) & went with 1Tb + 8oz X 3min.YUM!!
I have previously not been that impressed by this tea, but I love the way it looks, & because the leaf is so big, I figured why not treat it like I treat Laoshan black? I mean, really, why not?
So I did. Now I’m in love with it, it was so much more rich & delicious, fruity & sweet.
I’ll drink it this way from now on, with a 5 minute resteep as well.

I just stuff my teaspoon until the leaves are level with the edges (length-wise), and it usually results in a heaping tsp, but that’s fine with me. There will always be some leaves hanging out over the sides, but it’s better than underleafing, as far as I’m concerned.

Stacy, that store is ridiculously amazing. ALLSCALES. I can’t even. Seriously. I will nerd out over this so hard. Thank you! I’m looking forward to the fall, by the way – I miss your pumpkin tea, and I want to sample some of your unflavoured teas now that I have graduated to those. =) (Sorry for the hijack, Terri!)

Hahahaha, I don’t mind my post being hijacked at all! I only glanced at the scale page briefly, because I can be very obsessive, & often have to work NOT to be.
Regarding measuring teas, for anything that has wild leaves, like this one, if the instructions say 2 tsp, I’ll try to fit them into a TB & just fill it loosely. This time I heaped it.
More often I’m starting to just weigh things, especially crazy teas, using 4 – 5 grams to make a cup of tea. I’m still figuring that out, but it’s MUCH easier, especially with the crazy (but fun & beautiful) teas.

Oh my gosh. i read roswell strange’s tasting note on this yesterday and realized it had been ages since I’ve had this. For some crazy reason unbeknownst to me, I somehow thought I was getting over this tea, but this morning’s cup was a resounding reminder that this indeed was not the case. I nearly gasped out loud after I took my first sip, and quickly pushed the cup toward Mr. Keychange to have a sip.
“My gosh!” he exclaimed, “What flavour is this one?”
“Aha!” I exclaimed on Stacey’s behalf, “it isn’t flavoured! this is just the great Taiwanese wild mountain black! doesn’t it taste like waffles?”
“Wow, so the tea just tastes like that?”

Which is exactly my own awe at this tea. I don’t know if there’s any left to order, but I sure hope there is, as I’ll be topping up very soon. Mmm. Creamy, honeyed waffle deliciousness, with the signature taste of black tea aftertaste. I seriously don’t know what was stopping me from having this more often!

I have been thinking about Butiki custom blend contest entries lately, which has led to thinking about Butiki teas in general. I haven’t had this one in a bit and I wanted to come back to it. This time I brewed it at four minutes, as suggested.

Mmm, yes I would say this one really shines at four minutes. Honey, apricots, and a thick, rich texture. This time I can see where waffles are coming from, as well as the slightly powdery sweetness of confectioners sugar. Although I typically am not quite as fond of fruity blacks, the richness of this one totally balances it out and gives it that extra oomph. Quite a delicious tea, and worth of the hype.

Preparation

I really want to enter, but when I look into the void that is my mind, I see nothing.
Oh wait….what’s that out in the distance? Something is emerging from the void!!!
Stacy….oh Staaaaaaaaacy ….
(Looking to the right & left, to be sure nobody overhears her, then whispering)
Stacy, I have an idea…

Every time I don’t have this tea for a couple of weeks and then have it again, it’s an experience. Seriously, there can be no better taste on earth than this. It’s crazy how much I love it. Nothing else compares. Other Taiwanese blacks are kind of similar but this one is unique and just amazing.

Just a couple of tablespoons left to hold me until it’s available again. Eek.

I want one of those “I Love Leafhoppers” magnets. They’re cute and our fridge could use some decoration.

Small glass gongfu, short, variable steep style.

Every time I drink this tea I feel like I’m spoiling myself. I don’t drink this often, not because I’m hoarding it- “things” just have to click together first. That’s fine though, as it will last longer that way!

I’ve been reading about this tea since I started on steepster back in March and it’s been pretty much sold out since then. So needless to say, I’ve been super excited to finally try it.

It doesn’t dissapoint. It’s sweet and full of spices. I can’t for the life of me figure out how an unflavored tea leaf can taste so strongly of cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweet potato pie. It’s kind of a shock to the system. The first sip caught me totally off guard. As I continued to drink it my head just started spinning trying to figure out all the flavors in that little cup. So I stopped thinking and just enjoyed it. It’s not a heavy dark cup at all, which tends to be my preference, but the flavors are so crazy delicious that I can imagine this being a great afternoon tea.

I’ve had a few cups since. I’ll definitely need to stock up before it runs out again (warn me when that’s close Stacy!)

TastyBrew-Absolutely, we will definitely be doing a warning when we are down to 10% stock left. We tried to purchase the correct amount for the year but it has only been a week and we have already sold 10% of the stock. I didn’t anticipate that people would be buying such large quantities. This may just be the initial rush, due to it being out of stock so long.

Not a hype which implies deception. This tea sold out before and has just come in from the next available harvest. This is wild not farmed tea. Even the experienced tea people who have been in the tea business for years agree that this is a top of the line tea.

Ok, that’s not the actual total because my cupboard isn’t updated yet, but it is the total I had at the time of making this yesterday…

I am heartbroken to see this one go. I instantly fell in love with it and I want it in my life forever and ever. If we don’t meet again I will be one miserable, heartbroken tea drinker. However, I went to the dentist’s yesterday to get some work done (and yay, because I haven’t been in pain since!) and I knew I wanted something black and delicious and just perfect to take with me on the bus ride there and home and nothing else seemed like it would do.

So, I steeped up a timolino of this and added in a splash of milk and very happily sipped at my liquid waffles and baked bread and caramel deliciousness on the way there and back until every last drop was gone. And then when I was home I resteeped and repeated the process. I made damn good use of my splendid waffle tea, and when finally the leaves had given all they could I sat down, drooling a little a lot because I couldn’t feel half my face at all, and made a really mopey, pouty face for the next few hours.

Well, I tried to make a pouty face. I had no feeling in half my face and couldn’t get that half to cooperate and move for the pouty face. So on the outside I was only half pouty, but on the inside I was all pout.